Arden Inks Beauty Deal With Rocawear, Moves to Profitability in First Quarter...

Elizabeth Arden, Inc., a global prestige beauty products company, has entered into an exclusive global licensing agreement with Iconix Brand Group, Inc. for the development, marketing and distribution of men's and women's fragrance, cosmetics, and skincare products with the leading lifestyle apparel brand Rocawear.

A debut fragrance is planned to launch in the fall of 2008. Rocawear?s co-founder, Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter, will provide the creative vision for the collections."Elizabeth Arden and Iconix have a successful history together, and we are thrilled to grow our relationship with this dynamic collaboration," said E. Scott Beattie, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Elizabeth Arden.Iconix purchased the Rocawear brand in March of 2007.

Rocawear is a dominant lifestyle brand with a wide range of customers and categories including sportswear, footwear, outerwear, handbags, belts, loungewear, big & tall, headwear, jewelry, sunglasses and children's clothing. Since its inception in 1999, its appeal has expanded beyond national borders to become a brand of international significance with annual retail sales of over $700 million. Rocawear co-founder Shawn Carter spearheads all product development, marketing and licensing for Rocawear.
"The Rocawear name connects with the customer we want to attract. Adding Rocawear to our lineup of lifestyle fragrance brands allows us to further diversify our multi-dimensional brand portfolio and expand our reach to a young, modern consumer. Elizabeth Arden's leadership in fragrance, coupled with the creative involvement of Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and the team at Rocawear and Iconix, will provide us with a strong platform for success," added Beattie.

Commenting on the new launch, Shawn Carter, stated, "We are excited to partner with an industry giant such as Elizabeth Arden. The combination of their expertise in fragrance and our ability to affect popular culture will produce some incredible products and breathe excitement into the category."Neil Cole, Chairman and CEO, Iconix, stated, "We are excited about the launch of the first ever Rocawear fragrance next fall.

This is a significant step in the evolution of the Rocawear brand and a large long-term growth opportunity. The excitement and advertising surrounding the launch next fall will make Rocawear more visible than it has ever been and benefit the entire brand franchise.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

PRADA GOES PUBLIC?

Prada SpA, the Italian fashion label that makes Miu Miu bags and Church's shoes, hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Intesa Sanpaolo SpA and UniCredit SpA to arrange an initial public offering planned for next year.


PRADA Womens footwear. Available at YOOX.COM


The proposed listing will depend on ``market conditions,'' the Milan-based company said in an e-mailed statement today. Law firm Bonelli Erede Pappalardo will act as legal adviser.

An IPO may value Prada at about 5 billion euros ($7.2 billion) and would be the biggest in the luxury goods industry, a person familiar with the plan said last month. Prada, which has scrapped three listing attempts this decade, is focusing on Miu Miu, Church's and its namesake brand after selling the unprofitable Jil Sander and Helmut Lang labels. Read more

The 12 days of Christmas

Back in 1984, as a lark, PNC created the “Christmas Price Index,” which took “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song and calculated the amount it would cost someone to purchase the items for their True Loves.

As it turns out, the Christmas Price Index frequently mirrors that other, more famous CPI, the Consumer Price Index.

This year if you wish to buy your True Love the items in the song, it will cost $19,501, up 3% over last year and in line with the overall increase in the CPI of 3.5%.

Among the items driving up the index:
• Gold Rings are up 21.5%

• Geese are up 20%

• And, because of the increase in the federal minimum wage, milkmaid labor costs have increased 13.6%

All kidding aside, PNC’s Christmas Price Index is an excellent way to see how much inflation – even in small annual increments – can erode purchasing power over time. When the index began, buying your True Love the goods and services from “The Twelve Days of Christmas” would have cost $12,371.